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This publication is the last in the series
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Get laptops, tablets and connectivity support for vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people who cannot attend school due to coronavirus (COVID-19)
The government has provided an additional 600,000 devices in AY2021/22 to schools, colleges, academy trusts (trusts) and local authorities (LAs) via our Get Help With Technology programme. This is following the successful delivery of over 1.3 million laptops and tablets in AY19/20 and AY20/21 to help schools, colleges and LAs throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Department for Education (DfE) has provided laptops, tablets and connectivity support to schools, colleges, other FE institutions, trusts and LAs to help children and young people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Devices and connectivity support have been offered to:
The number of devices available in AY2021/22 for schools, colleges and other FE institutions to order through the Get help with technology service is based on estimates of need made by DfE. These estimates are based on free school meals data/free meal data and the number of devices each setting may have received in AY2019/20 and AY2020/21. If a school, college, other FE institution, trust or LA requires additional devices, they can request them from DfE. These devices are in addition to those DfE provided during the 2020 summer term and the 2020/2021 academic year.
The DfE does not hold information on the onward distribution to families, children and young people. DfE has advised that devices and routers are to be used to support disadvantaged children and young people who are otherwise unable to access remote education or essential social care services.
Examples of this include disadvantaged children and young people:
For information about how many devices and 4G wireless routers were delivered to LAs and trusts in the 2020/21 academic year, summer 2020 term, and other publications up to 13th July 2021 please see our previous publications here.
Devices: A device is a laptop or tablet, which may have been provided with a protective sleeve and software/operating licences.
Operation Warm Welcome: The number of devices delivered or dispatched to all settings for children arriving in England under Operation Warm Welcome. Operation Warm Welcome is cross-government effort to ensure Afghans arriving in the UK receive the vital support they need to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education and integrate into their local communities. In November 2021, DfE invited schools and colleges that have enrolled children who have arrived in England under Operation Warm Welcome to request devices on their behalf. Settings that received devices as a result of making a request were then required to make them available specifically to these pupils. The number of devices delivered or dispatched as a result of these requests is included in the total number of devices delivered or dispatched since the start of the scheme and since 29 Oct 2021.
4G wireless routers: This refers to a unit which provides mobile internet access through a secure SIM.
From the January 2022 release, there has been a methodological change to the way the number of routers is calculated. Previously, the total number of routers included all routers ordered with a valid dispatch date. This method also captured returned routers. The method of calculating dispatched routers has now been changed to explicitly exclude returns.
Delivered or dispatched means the device has been dispatched from the storage facility or is in transit awaiting delivery on a date specified by the recipient. Shipments are running on a next business day delivery basis and two redelivery attempts are made before the delivery is returned.
All data used in this release is available as open data for download
Browse and download individual open data files from this release in our data catalogue
Learn more about the data files used in this release using our online guidance
You can view featured tables that we have built for you, or create your own tables from the open data using our table tool
Devices (laptops and tablets) delivered or dispatched to LAs or directly to LA-maintained schools since the start of the winter scheme (29 October 2021). This does not include devices delivered to academy trusts which are listed in the trust data.
Devices (laptops and tablets) delivered or dispatched to academy trusts or directly to schools within a trust since the start of the winter scheme (29 October 2021).
Devices (laptops and tablets) delivered or dispatched to schools that are not part of a trust since the start of the winter scheme (29 October 2021).
Devices (laptops and tablets) delivered or dispatched to FE colleges and other institutions since the start of the winter scheme (29 October 2021).
For full FE data please see associated files.
These are Official Statistics and have been produced in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
This can be broadly interpreted to mean that these statistics are:
Find out more about the standards we follow to produce these statistics through our Standards for official statistics published by DfE guidance.
If you have a specific enquiry about Laptops and tablets data statistics and data:
Email
annalise.halsall@education.gov.uk
Telephone: Annalise Halsall
+442072275096
If you have a media enquiry:
Telephone
020 7783 8300
If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:
Telephone
037 0000 2288
